PBX Phone Systems are scalable solutions allowing you to network
office communications. They make economical sense for networking
as few as 4 stations (phones), and allow expansion as your
office grows.

What does it mean to network office communications? Simply
put, it means you have the ability to transfer calls between
phones. The end result is that your business can effectively
send incoming calls to the right personnel. Additionally this
capability allows for an auto-attendant - one of those touch-tone
directory trees that direct incoming calls to the right people.

The variety of different PBX phones systems on the market
today offer a myriad of different features, and are designed
for different scalability (from small offices, to large call
centers). Some systems have a maximum capacity of 8 lines,
and some over 1000. The general category of PBX Phone Systems
is huge, and offers enough selection to suit the needs of
any business. Our guide below can help you determine what
phone system works best for your needs.

How to choose a PBX
Phone System >>

To determine the best fit solution for your needs, take a
look at the below criteria, and take note of your needs.

Step 1: Choose a KSU (Key Service Unit)

The KSU is the central unit of a phone system. Once you
choose a KSU, you are limited to the phones designed by
the manufacturer for that particular product line. The most
important features such as Caller ID, Last Number Redial,
Speed Dial, Hotline, internal/external Call Waiting, Voice
Over, Reverse Voice Over and Off-Hook Signaling are standard
features offered with virtually every phone system. So this
leaves the most important consideration when choosing a
phone system as being the capacity of the phone system versus
the price of the full system.

Phone System Capacity: The first step is to decipher
what the maximum capacity your phone system should be able
to handle. There are two factors to determine here.

First, how many physical phone lines do you want to connect
to your phone system (line capacity). This determines the
maximum amount of employees that can be on the phone at
the same time. Typical phone systems begin with a max capacity
of 3 lines, and then go on to 4, 6, 8, 16, 32...

The second capacity determination regards how many stations
(phones) will be on this PBX network (station capacity).
Typical max station capacities for PBX phone systems start
at 8 phones and double from there on out (16, 32...).

Typically, phone systems are offered with approximately
twice as many stations as phone lines. The line vs station
capacity is usually written as a two number shorthand such
as '4 x 8', meaning the KSU offers 4 lines and up to 8 stations.
Most KSUs can be expanded beyond their initial capacity,
so make sure to note maximum expansion size of a KSU when
browsing.

Step 2: Do you want a Voice Mail/Auto-Attendant package

Voice mail and auto-attendant features are typically combined
into the same package. Voicemail offers password protected
voice messaging for each employee; while an auto-attendant
offers a touch-tone directory that automatically connects
incoming callers with the right personnel.

Every phone system on the market offers these features as
an additional combo package. So it is simply a decision
of whether you would or would not like to purchase a Voicemail/Auto-attendant
unit along with your Phone System.

Once you have decided on a good capacity, the remainder of
choosing a phone system comes down to comparing and contrasting
the small differences from one system to the next. If you
would like more in-depth support in your decision process,
call us at 1-800-522-0322; our representatives are well-trained
in PBX equipment and ready to help.